Pirates and Other Magical Disasters
by Leslie Ann K
Summary: Book Nine is over. Puck is traveling the world with Uncle Jake, Granny Relda and Mr. Canis are raising Red and Pinocchio in Ferryport Landing, and Sabrina and Daphne are back in New York with their parents. But all is not well, and it's up to Sabrina, Daphne, and Puck to find out what. Sabrina got her happy ever after, but the only happy stories are the ones not yet finished...
1. New York, New York

**AN: This is set two months after the Council of Mirrors. Sabrina is almost thirteen and Daphne is eight. As of the end of the book, Puck is going around the world to travel with Uncle Jake to contain magical disasters. Granny Relda and Mr. Canis are staying in Ferryport Landing to raise Red and Pinocchio. Sabrina and Daphne are back in New York with Henry and Veronica. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Sisters Grimm though I would really, really like to! :) **

"Puck!" Sabrina Grimm yelled through the halls of her family's recently bought New York apartment. She was met with silence.

"Puck!" she called again. No answer.

"PUCK! IF YOU DON'T COME DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW, I SWEAR I WILL-."

"You'll what, stinky?" Puck emerged behind her, having evidently been in the kitchen the entire time. She should have known, Sabrina thought. Puck was always where the food was.

"You'll tell the old lady?" he continued, his green eyes sparkling with mischief, "'Cause she's back in Ferryport Landing, you know."

"I'm not an _idiot_, Puck," she snapped, "unlike some people I know."

Puck immediately acquired an expression of mock hurt. "Pinocchio's going to be really distressed about that. Are you sure you want me to break the news?"

"No!" Sabrina exclaimed, exasperated.

"So you want to tell him?"

"NO!"

"Then I'm very confused," he said, plopping down on the puffy tan couch that Sabrina's mother had spent endless hours agonizing over whether or not to buy, "Care to enlighten me?"

"God, do you even know what the word 'enlighten' means?"

"I am a _king_, Grimm. I have to," Puck sighed.

"I'm sure it was very difficult for you to squeeze all those words into that tiny, pea-sized brain of yours," Sabrina sneered.

"I secretly read the dictionary for fun," Puck replied, completely serious. Sabrina was shocked for a moment. _He's joking. _Then Puck burst out laughing.

"You should have," he wheezed, "seen your face! Priceless!" He fell to the floor, gasping for air between chuckles.

"Ha ha," Sabrina replied sarcastically, "Very funny."

"Trust me," Puck said after a few seconds, "It was." He stood up and started to slowly circle the room.

"So is that supposed to be _art_?" he pointed at a picture of a red glob of paint on a white background hanging on the creamy walls of the apartment. There seemed to be nothing special about it, but it was framed. Knowing today's world and her mother, it had probably cost hundreds, Sabrina reflected gloomy. "I could do better than that!" Puck said, outraged.

"It _is_ art," she said, looking at all the other similar 'abstract'pieces on the walls, "And I am so going to tell."

"Who?" Puck said, turning around so that he was facing her, his ever-present smirk on his face. "Who are you going to tell?"

Sabrina pretended to ponder the question for a moment.

"How about . . . my dad?"

She watched with pleasure as his cocky grin faded into a look of genuine horror. She began to stalk out of the room.

"Wait!" Puck exclaimed, running in front of her and stopping Sabrina in her tracks.

"What?" Sabrina put her hands on her hips and smiled. She was enjoying this.

"Don't tell him! The guy thinks I'm in love with you already!" Puck whined.

"What the magic word?" Sabrina said in a sing-song voice.

Puck murmured something unintelligible.

"I can't hear you," she said in the same voice.

"Please," he whispered.

"What was that?" Sabrina cocked her ear.

"Please!" Puck yelled, "Are you happy!"

"Good boy," she said, and even though he was four inches taller than her now, she reached up at patted his head.

Three Weeks Ago . . .

"Sabrina, you're being much-o sad-o," Daphne told her at the dinner table. The family was having steak, potatoes, grilled green beans, and lemonade. It was as all-American as anyone could get, and Sabrina would normally have loved the ordinariness of it. But they had already been in New York for a month, and the pleasant feeling of being normal had worn off. She couldn't stop feeling as if someone had taken a brick and laid it across her chest. She was depressed, and she didn't know why.

"I'm not sad," she said, pushing around her green beans half-heartedly.

"It's not because of that boy, is it?" Henry asked as he scowled at his plate.

"Is it?" Daphne repeated excitedly.

"Don't give her any ideas," Henry reprimanded.

"I think it's sweet!" Veronica exclaimed, "And Puck is a fine boy. He just does what he does so that he has an excuse for why he pays Sabrina so much attention."

Sabrina spit out the potatoes she had had in her mouth. They sprayed all over the white tablecloth. She started coughing.

"Sweetie, are you alright?" Veronica asked.

"First off," Sabrina rasped, "I do _not_ miss Puck. He can have fun with Uncle Jake doing who knows what. And second, he does not prank me because he likes me. Nice boys don't do that to girls they supposedly 'like'. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to go to bed."

"But it's only seven!" she heard Daphne exclaim as Sabrina slammed the door to her bedroom. She had only had a few weeks in her new, unshared room, and it still didn't look quite _hers_. It was like a hotel's, with the bed neatly made and the corners tucked in. There was not one personal item out. She had tried. She had really, really tried. Sabrina Grimm had placed pictures of Daphne, Elvis, Granny, her parents, herself, and even _Puck_. But they didn't seem to belong there; it was as if they were calling to her, telling her that they were her family now, that she had a home and this wasn't it. It was strange to have such a big family, Sabrina reflected. There were so many more people to protect, so many more ways to get hurt. Especially with the life they lived, where nothing was ever certain.

The life they _had_ lived. Sabrina wasn't in Ferryport Landing anymore. She was in New York with Daphne and her parents, exactly where she'd wanted to be ever since her parents were kidnapped three years ago. She was safe and secure, loved and normal. But Sabrina couldn't forget the past couple of years, what she and Daphne had been through. She couldn't put it behind her, and, Sabrina realized, she didn't really want to. She'd gotten her happily ever after and she didn't even want it anymore.

She put her head in her pillow and muffled a frustrated scream.

**AN: Okay, let me clear up a couple of things. Puck is on one of his visits in the first scene. Puck isn't there yet three weeks ago in the next scene. This is how I picture Sabrina afterwards, not really content with her lot. And, a few chapters in, Sabrina's going to get a mystery to solve, so don't worry!**

**I'm going to try to be consistent in this, and as this is my FIRST FANFICTION EVER, please review! I'll have the next one up as quickly as I can!**

**- Leslie Ann K.**


	2. Truffles

**AN: Thanks for everyone who reviewed! It means a lot to me. Really. I'm going to be on vacation until Sunday, so sorry that I can't update very quickly! This scene is still three weeks ago. No Puck yet, but that's okay, we'll get to him eventually. Anyways, back to the story. That's why you're here, isn't it? :)**

Sabrina woke disgruntled and bewildered. For a moment, she thought she was back at Ferryport Landing in the room she shared with Daphne, looking up at the model airplanes her father had made so long ago, watching them swing from side to side from their place on the ceiling. Then she blinked and the scene vanished, leaving her only with a sick feeling of longing. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she sat up and instantly a dizzying wave of nausea rolled over her. Groaning, Sabrina fell back onto her pillow. That's what she got for sitting up too quickly.

She dressed with one eye open, her mind hazy and her fingers numb. Somehow she managed to brush out the tangles in her hair and slip on matching socks. The finished product was good enough for her; it was a Saturday morning and she didn't have anywhere to be.

Sabrina stepped into the cream-colored hallway and made her way to the newly-repainted kitchen. She knew that Daphne had already eaten half the table's contents, even though she'd probably woken only five minutes earlier than Sabrina. Daphne was like a garbage disposal that way, Sabrina thought. Everything edible in sight just disappeared.

Sure enough, Sabrina saw the moment she entered the sunny, yellow-cabinet kitchen that her mother wasn't cooking fast enough to keep up with her youngest daughter's enormous appetite. The little girl inhaled her food like it had been months since she'd last eaten, her excuse always being that she needed more food because she was now a growing girl. Sabrina was positive Daphne just liked bacon.

"Oh! Sabrina!" Veronica breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Sabrina enter the kitchen, "Could you _please_ check to see where your father is? He went to wake Basil fifteen minutes ago and he still hasn't come back yet."

Sabrina swiveled around and walked out of the kitchen, regretting the five minute delay on her breakfast. Henry always seemed to be missing at the most inconvenient times.

But as she came closer to Basil's nursery, a tiny seed of paranoia, planted by a three years in foster care and Ferryport Landing, gripped her. What if they weren't there at all? What if the unthinkable had happened? What would she do then?

Sabrina breathed deeply, steeling herself to open the door. She'd burn that bridge when she came to it.

The room was dark as a night with no moon, the shutters preventing all light from entering. Sabrina saw the dim outline of Basil's crib and shelves lining the walls with books whose titles she couldn't make out. And softly, so softly that at first she thought it was just wishful thinking, she heard someone snoring.

"Dad?" Sabrina called from the doorway. The snoring continued, and she quickly located the source of the sound. A big, mangled heap dressed in a t-shirt and boxer shorts was lying on the hardwood floor.

"Dad?" the girl repeated, no longer frightened but slightly amused at her father's ability to fall asleep in the strangest of places. He was like Daphne in that respect.

"Honey," Henry's voice said, thick with sleep, "Go back to bed. It's too early to do anything."

"It's ten in the morning," Sabrina pointed out.

"Exactly my point."

"Mom said she told you to wake up Basil fifteen minutes ago."

"So she did."

"She kind of wants you back."

"So she does."

"With Basil."

"Maybe Basil wants to sleep a bit more."

"Dad," Sabrina rolled her eyes, "I think that's you."

"Maybe we would _both _like to."

"Well _I_ like Mom in a good mood."

Henry paused for a moment. Veronica was famous for her tempers, like Sabrina was for hers. Easy to get her mad, hard to cool her down, Veronica Grimm was not to be messed with and the whole family knew it.

"Tell her I'll be there in five," he finally conceded

Sabrina left the room knowing that her father was now unsuccessfully trying to coax Basil out of the warm embrace of sleep.

"Dad says he'll be back in five minutes," Sabrina yelled into the kitchen, not registering that there was no one present. She sat down to a plate already laden with pancakes, bacon, syrup, and sausage and began shoving them into her mouth, not looking up once.

"Hey!" Sabrina heard a voice in front of her, "That was mine!"

Sabrina glanced up to see Daphne with her hands on her hips and a fierce expression on her face. Daphne was always serious when it came to food.

"Not anymore it isn't," Sabrina said and continued eating.

"Mom!" Daphne complained, "Sabrina stole my bacon!" But the accusation went unanswered as Veronica was nowhere in sight.

"You already had four helpings!" Sabrina exclaimed.

"Only three," Daphne shot back matter-of-factly.

Veronica walked into the room on her cell phone, talking very rapidly and obviously trying very hard to maintain a pleasant expression. Her brows were furrowed together as they only did when she was either angry or attempting to solve a difficult problem. She nodded swiftly once and said some more words Sabrina couldn't catch. Veronica then deftly clicked a button on her phone, signaling the end of the call.

"Is everything okay?" Sabrina asked.

"Fine," Veronica said, her face carefully controlled, "I just got a call from Sinbad. He wanted to see whether I would to buy an old boat from him he doesn't want to have on his hands anymore now that he has five new ones coming in. It's fifty percent off. I told him no, but he insisted, so I told him I'd take it." Veronica didn't hate boats, but she didn't exactly like them either.

That explained her mother's expression, Sabrina realized with relief. There was no crisis, no new disaster. The last thought was met with a twinge of disappointment.

"You mean we could go on boat trips anytime we want?" Daphne said excitedly, forgetting the argument for a moment, "That's completely truffles!"

"Truffles?" Sabrina asked.

"It's my new word," Daphne said proudly, "It's like gravy on steroids. Truffles are everything that's super cool. Gravy is just plain cool."

"Got some high standards there," Sabrina remarked dryly.

Daphne ignored her.

"What did I miss?" Henry asked as he came in, carrying a plainly irritated Basil.

"We're getting a boat!" Daphne sang.

"Oh?" Henry raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Veronica said placidly, as if breaking terrible news to a child, "We're getting a boat."

Then Sabrina noticed that her mother's fingers clenched her cell phone too tightly, that she was paler than usual.

It was her first inkling that something was very, very wrong.

**AN: Da Da Da! What's going to happen next? What's wrong? Well, that's for me to know and you to find out! :P**

** All right. So I got some bad news and some good news. The bad news: My updates aren't going to be very long. Around a thousand words, tops. Good news: I'll update often. Every two, three, four days (one or two days to write, one to revise), so you'll probably get around two chapters per week. Sound good?**

** Another thing. I know many of you guys don't really take the time to review (I know I sometimes don't) but I really need you guys to review so that I can give you guys a better quality story! I feel like the one thing I need to work on most in my writing is my descriptions. For me, I have trouble visualizing things and I usually just go along with my version in my mind of what the house or the park or the building looks like in a book. I'm more about the dialog and the emotions. So is that a big issue here? Also, I usually write in first person, so is my third person weird at all? Review, please!**

**Thanks a bunch!**

**- Leslie Ann K.**


	3. He's baaaack!

**AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! All your feedback really made this chapter better! And even those of you who are just reading, it's still awesome that you would even consider clicking on this link. So whatever category you belong in, you're the best! For reals. **

**This is the scene were Puck enters! Before the very first scene of the very first chapter though. K? No mention of the boat thing yet, but there's not supposed to be. Hope I got this up quickly enough!**

Two Weeks Later . . .

Sabrina was almost certain there were child labor laws against the amount of homework she was getting. How she knew, she wasn't sure, but Sabrina made a mental note to write a strongly worded letter to her school district's superintendent soon. But then, she reminded herself, soon meant _when she finished her homework._ Right now, that didn't seem even a remote possibility.

Try as she might, Sabrina couldn't focus on the two-variable algebra problem before her. She seriously doubted she could do two plus two correctly at that point. Sighing, Sabrina tapped her pencil on the white-laced table cloth of the kitchen table and looked around the room for something to distract her. Anything at all. But after staring into space for a few minutes, Sabrina realized it was pointless. The math homework would have to be completed or she would face the angry wrath of her parents.

She was almost done with the worksheet when the doorbell rang.

"Sabrina, can you get that?" she heard her father yell from the living room, evidently not being able to tear himself away from the hockey game that New York was currently losing. She knew this because Henry was shouting more profanities than usual at the television, as he did only when the team he supported was playing badly. What good that would do, Sabrina didn't know, but he did it a lot, so she could only assume he thought it would motivate the Rangers.

"And if they're selling something," he said after a second, "Tell them we're not home."

She did not bother to tell him that made no sense.

The doorbell rang again, more impatient this time.

"Coming!" Sabrina said. She stood up, deliberately scraping the wooden chair to make Henry guilty that he was making his eldest daughter answer the door when she had very important homework to do.

She craned her neck behind her as she opened the black door, trying to see what the game's score was. The television was not as big as she would have liked, and she was having a hard time.

"If you're selling something," Sabrina said absent-mindedly, still not looking at the person standing in the doorway, "We're not interested."

"That's all I get?" A boy's voice asked, "A 'we're not interested'?"

Sabrina's head snapped around to see Puck, in his green hoodie, jeans, and all his muddy glory, grinning. After two months of not seeing him, she didn't know whether to hug him, scold him for going so long without even _calling_ her, or to just be happy he was here.

Instead, she said, "Oh. It's you," in as flat a voice as she could muster. Puck's smile faltered a bit as if he had been expecting a different greeting, but then it came back in full force.

"Where's Marshmallow?"

"Daphne!" Sabrina called, "Puck's back!"

It took no time at all for her to hear Daphne's feet slap the tile floors as the little girl ran as fast as she could towards the apartment's door.

"You better not be joking, Sabrina!" Daphne warned from around the corner, "Or I'll be super mad!"

Sabrina rolled her eyes.

"Still a world-class eye roller, then?" Puck asked.

Sabrina said nothing.

"What? No insult?" he asked, "You haven't seen me for months, and no 'dog breath'? 'Stinkpot'? Don't tell me you're getting rusty."

She couldn't bring herself to reply, knowing her voice would betray just how much she'd missed him.

"Omigad!" Daphne exclaimed as she saw Puck, "You're here!" She ran up to him and gave him a hug, squeezing him so tightly that Sabrina was sure Puck didn't have enough air to breathe. "That's so truffles!" Daphne said.

Puck gave Sabrina a questioning look.

"Gravy on steroids," Sabrina mouthed. Puck nodded in understanding.

"Missed you too, Marshmallow," he said as he ruffled her hair.

"So did you hug Sabrina yet?" the little girl asked, "Did you guys have a whole romantic reunion? Did I miss it?" Daphne readied her palm for biting.

"Whoa there. No on all three. Besides, I don't think your sister's so happy to see me."

"Nuh uh!" Daphne insisted, "She's been missing you ever since we left Ferryport Landing!"

"Really?' Puck said as his eyes twinkled in anticipation.

"Well, she didn't say so," Daphne admitted, "But we all knew."

Sabrina glared at her. Weren't younger sisters supposed to adore their older siblings? Help them in any way they could? Not tell the most repulsive boy that ever lived how much she'd wished he'd prank her again, call her names, do _anything_ that would tell her the last three years of her life wasn't some twisted dream?

"I'll have to take your word on that one," Puck said, running his hand through his curly hair.

"Sabrina," Henry said as he strolled into the entry of the apartment, "What in the world is taking you -," he paused as he saw Puck, still standing in the doorway, "Veronica!" he yelled.

"Henry!" Puck said, throwing out his arms as if expecting a hug, "How are you?"

Henry turned white as if he was in pain.

"What is it, Henry?" Veronica asked as she walked in with Basil on her hip. Then she stopped like Henry had done, trying to process the bizarre scene before her. Their apartment was normal. Puck was not normal. Therefore he did not belong there. "Puck," she said simply.

"Yes," he said, pointing to himself, "Puck."

"Oh," Veronica said, embarrassed, "I didn't mean it like that. Where's Jake?" she added as an afterthought. Sabrina had been wondering that herself.

"Giant in Cleveland," Puck said, waving his hand in a careless manner, "Complicated, but nothing he can't handle. Jake told me to visit you guys while he did that. I didn't have anything better to do, so I did."

"So you'll be staying?" Veronica questioned.

"Well, yeah. If I can," he said, as if he had just remembered that he couldn't just barge in demanding a room.

"Of course you can," Veronica said warmly, recovering from her previous blunder, "How long will you be staying?"

"I don't know," Puck shrugged, "Could be leaving tomorrow. Could be leaving in three months. It all depends how soon Jake needs me."

Henry still hadn't moved, looking as if he was experiencing a very terrifying nightmare.

"Come on, honey," Veronica said as she tried to lead Henry back into the living room while juggling Basil in the other arm. It did not look like an easy task.

"Girls," she called over her shoulder, "Show Puck the guestroom."

**AN: Sorry to leave you guys off on that unsatisfying note, but I think I'll keep these updates short and sweet. PUCK COMES BACK! YAY! But what will Sabrina do? Questions, questions. **

** So I just thought this was an interesting question to ask: From which popular (or at least I think so) and horrifying though wonderfully awesome dystopian book series did I get my pen name from (just the Leslie Ann part)? Answer through reviews and in the next update I'll list how many got it right!**

** And people who want notification when a new chapter comes out, put either me on author alert or my story on story alert! **

** Thanks a bunch!**

** - Leslie Ann**


	4. This Time

**AN: WHAT? ANOTHER UPDATE? JUST THE DAY AFTER MY LAST ONE? NO WAY! Yes way! YAY YAY YAY YAY!** **I guess I should explain. Well, as you guys may or may not care, I am currently on vacation near the Atlantic Ocean. Basically, my family and I went on a fishing trip yesterday and let's just say . . . I got super seasick. For four hours. It was terrible.**

** BUT. But I went shopping today and got fudge (don't ask where that comes in) so I'm on a super sugar and clothes high! Yay! So you guys get another chapter, I get chocolate, and everyone's happy! Isn't this awesome?**

** Now for the question of where I got my pen name. Drum roll please . . . it's from GONE by Michael Grant! (Weird coincidence, isn't it? Michael Buckley, Michael Grant . . . oh, whatever). Four of you guys PMd me and got it right! I recommend this series to people more on the horror side because this is the only book that I have ever read that actually freaked me out. Seriously. But then I'm not that hard to freak out. :) **

** Back to the story. This is directly after last chapter (that's a first, I know). I realize Puck is a **_**little**_** OOC, but then Michael Buckley had him a bit serious in the last couple of books. Right? Right? He's just a bit concerned, it's nothing major. No professing of love (yet) :). So anyways, without further babbling, here's chapter four!**

** "**This way," Sabrina said as she started towards the hallway where the bedrooms were, Daphne trailing dutifully behind her.

"Kitchen, living room, bathroom," she said, pointing the places out as she mentioned them.

"Cool," Puck said, nodding, "So can we, like, go eat now?"

"No," Sabrina said shortly.

"Fine," he grumbled, "It's not like flying nonstop with _no _eating breaks from Ohio made me hungry or anything. Not. At. All. I'm so awesome, hunger cannot touch me!" Puck proclaimed.

"Right."

Daphne turned to Puck, "I'll go make you a bagel after we show you your room. We got this _awesome_ new toaster."

"I can always count on you, Marshmallow," Puck smiled as he pulled Daphne into a side hug, but he looked to Sabrina as he did so. His unspoken question reverberated in her mind. _But can I count on you?_

She didn't know anymore. Two months ago, she wouldn't have hesitated. She and Puck had seen too much, done too much, to not have formed some kind of life-long bond. Two months ago, Sabrina thought that her hate-love relationship with him would never change. Now she wasn't so sure.

"That's my bedroom," she said as she motioned to the white, undecorated door, not inviting him to look inside. It was far too bare, far too devoid of feeling for Puck not to instantly realize that she no longer wanted to stay in New York. And why.

"This is mine!" Daphne exclaimed as she pointed to her room. She turned the knob and pulled Puck in along with her, leaving Sabrina with no choice but to follow.

Daphne's room was vibrant and lived-in, the complete opposite of Sabrina's. Daphne had posters of unicorns and ponies plastered all over the lilac walls and three different colored rugs on the hardwood floor. Her bed, from its headboard to its comforter, was orange. Despite the family's protests that orange did not go with purple in any way, shape, or form, Daphne remained unmoved. And what Daphne wanted, Daphne eventually got.

"So you guys have separate rooms now?" Puck asked, looking mildly surprised.

"Obviously," Sabrina said frostily as Daphne showed Puck her magic trinket collection that she was successfully keeping hidden from Henry – for the time being.

"Ouch," Puck said as he rubbed his arm as if she had just punched him, "So when'd you and the Ice Queen switch kingdoms?"

"And Puck!" Daphne said as she tugged on his sleeve, not giving Sabrina a chance to retort. Once she reclaimed Puck's attention, she picked up an orange headband, "This one is super special! It can paralyze someone for five minutes if I say the right words, and it totally goes with my white and orange striped sweater!"

"That's pretty handy," Puck said, approving, though to Sabrina his voice sounded strained, elsewhere. Somewhere deep inside she knew she was the cause of it, that she should fix whatever problem she had with Puck and not ruin this reunion for Daphne. But if there was one thing Sabrina valued, it was pride, and she wasn't letting go of it. Yet.

"Sorry, Marshmallow, but I'm a bit tired," Puck said with a yawn after a while, "Can you show me the rest tomorrow?"

Daphne's face fell. "Omigad! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize that you – I can't believe I - I'm such a terrible person!" she wailed.

Puck looked completely bewildered by her change of attitude. He glanced at Sabrina as if asking _What did I do?_

She shook her head. Boys were so clueless sometimes.

"You're not terrible, Daphne," Sabrina said with a twinge of annoyance, as she had told the little girl this many times in the last couple of days, "Let's just go show Puck his room, okay?"

Daphne nodded and her happiness came back as brightly as if it had never gone. She stood up and dusted off imaginary dirt off her yellow shorts. "Come on!" she said enthusiastically as she stepped back into the hallway.

"What happened to Daphne?" Puck asked quietly as he fell into step with Sabrina. She sighed. Maybe they weren't so clueless.

"She was messing with this magic ring in the living room a couple of days ago," she whispered back, reeling off the facts as quickly as she could, "Dad was out grocery shopping, thankfully. I guess she said the wrong incantation or mispronounced a word because out of nowhere was this little 'pop'. Next thing I knew Daphne was crying and laughing and just babbling nonsense like one of those Wonderlanders. I thought she'd gone crazy," Sabrina shuddered at the memory, "I ran to Mom, who came as quickly as she could. She looked Daphne over for a minute and pronounced that nothing permanent had happened. She'd just have some powerful mood swings for a week or so. You saw what happened. It was pretty hard to hide from Dad, and we couldn't tell him or else he'd start lecturing us on the 'dangers of magic'," she made air quotes, "As if we didn't already know."

Puck was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Sabrina gave him a strange look, "Nothing happened."

"This time."

**AN: Cliffhanger! Well, not really, but I've exhausted myself. Must be from all that sitting around and fudge-consuming . . . Anyways guys, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! I've already gotten twenty reviews for this story, which is so much more than I expected for, what, three chapters? You guys are the best, but I need the feedback, even if it's a bit negative. I can handle that. I think. (Jk guys, if there's something bad about my writing that I need to know, tell me! It'll make the next chapter THAT much better!) So REVIEW! PRETTY PLEASE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP?**

**Thanks a bunch and obviously still super hyper!**

**-Leslie Ann K.**


	5. Fudge

**AN: Hey guys! I'm ba-aa-ack! Alright, this update is pretty self-explanatory, so yeah, READ!**

In the first week Robin Goodfellow stayed with the Grimms, havoc reigned There was no classic prank left undone; Puck put the sugar in the salt shaker, glued a quarter to the floor (Henry was most displeased about this one, as he'd spent twenty-two minutes trying to pick it up before Puck let him know exactly what had been done), and even made good on his promise to glue a basketball to Sabrina's head.

It was, in a word, _normal_. Every time Puck pulled a prank on her, Sabrina didn't know whether to punch or hug him. And strangely enough, he seemed to understand that. He didn't drench her in glop or put amphibians in her hair or even insult her as much as he usually did. His jokes always sat on the line between malicious and merely amusing (amusing only to him, of course).

Sabrina wasn't exactly sure what was wrong between them or even if anything was. But there was one thing that was undeniable: Puck had finally grown up. She hadn't realized it when he first showed up at her door, but as the week went on she saw Puck do small things, thoughtful ones, like passing Daphne the syrup and playing with Basil (recently nicknamed "Munchkin") when he thought no one was looking. They made her question whether the pranks were just an act; an act he put on to comfort her. But that implied that Puck actually cared, and that was something Sabrina couldn't fathom. She wondered whether Uncle Jake had ever really sent him away.

Then came the day when Puck took a joke too far.

"We're going to the grocery store!" Henry yelled from the kitchen, "Sabrina, Daphne, you girls need anything?"

"I'm good!" Sabrina answered from her position on the couch, half watching a movie and half keeping an eye on Puck, who was sitting on a loveseat to her right. He seemed completely absorbed in whatever was going on in the little box.

"Can I come with you guys?" She heard Daphne ask in the next room over.

"Sure," Henry replied.

"Wait. You _are_ taking Basil, aren't you?" Sabrina asked slowly. God only knew what Puck could do while her parentswere gone. She didn't want Basil hurt. Or worse.

"Yeah," Puck said, smirking "The Munchkin isn't safe with Monkey here."

Sabrina glared at him.

"We're taking him, alright," Veronica said, appearing in the doorway.

"Good," Sabrina said, momentarily relieved. Then her predicament came crashing down on her. She was going to be alone. With Puck. And no witnesses.

The door shut five minutes later and all went silent except for the TV, blaring meaningless noise.

(****)

"So, piggy," Puck said, "Quick question. If I threw a pillow at you right now, would you be mad?"

Five minutes after everyone had left, they were still in the living room, occupying the same places. They had beenwatching television, not speaking. Until now.

"Yes," Sabrina said without hesitation.

"That's too bad," Puck said and threw one hit her square on the face and she let out an "oof".

"You little-," she said, laughing a little, as she threw the pillow back. Puck caught it with no trouble at all.

"Weak," he said as he threw it with such force that she had to duck to avoid getting a nasty bruise.

"Puck!" Sabrina yelled, "You almost-" But she get to finish her accusation. The ear-shattering crash of glass breaking silenced her before she got the chance.

"Oops," Puck said, his eyes wide.

Sabrina turned around slowly, sick with anticipation. Her mother's favorite vase - a pretty blue and white striped thing - lay shattered on the floor.

"Fudge," she whispered.

"Well," Puck said from behind her, "Much as I'd like to stick around . . . that looks bad."

But when she whipped around, a retort on the tip of her tongue, he was already was gone.

**AN: Okay guys, I'm going to do a dedication section right here, because I have a bunch of people who deserve it.**

** First and foremost: Curlscat. You guys have her to thank for the lack of awkward phrases in this chapter. She has recently become my beta (and frankly, the best beta I could have at this point) and she has been phenomenal. So yeah, guys, she is, as Daphne would say, "Completely and utterly truffles!"**

** Second: My anonymous reviewers. I haven't been ignoring you guys, I swear! I'll catch up on all of you now. **

** maylona99: No, you're not really anonymous, but your PM was disabled, so I'll say it here. THANK YOU!**

** My two guest reviewers who said they cared! : You guys have no idea how much I smiled when I read that! Thank you! And yes, I just got back from vacation!**

**Mini: No, you're not the only one who noticed Sabrina and Puck's couple name could be "suck". Let us thank Michael Buckley there were other options. :)**

** karatequeen78: Thank you! The plot thickens indeed. O.o**

** BUBBLESandSQUIGGLES: Thanks so much! Love your name, btw.**

**Lee Jordan: Hopefully I didn't disappoint!**

** I hope that's everyone. Keep reviewing, even if you are anonymous! I love your feedback, really! **

** QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: What's your favorite puckabrina (or, you know, "suck") quote? Super interested in this one, I'll tell you guys mine in the next update!**

** IMPORTANT: The very first scene of the very first chapter comes right after this. K? Awesome!**

** Thanks a bunch, and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! You guys encourage me a lot when you do, so PLEASE? **

**-Leslie AnnK.**


	6. The Plan

**AN: Hey guys! Long time no see, right? It's been, like, DAYS! BTW, the first scene of the first chapter has already taken place. So, yeah, everything else important that you guys need to know is at the bottom. As usual.**

In the days that followed, Sabrina and Puck made no mention of the vase, but Veronica didn't seem to notice. The boat had not been brought up again since three weeks ago, when Veronica had gotten the call. No one asked, and no one volunteered any information. The Grimm household was on a very need-to-know basis. And everyone had decided, at some point, that there were some things they did not need to know.

(****************************************************************)

"Pass the orange juice, will you?" Sabrina asked Puck. It had been three days since the incident and as of yet no one was the wiser. They intended to keep it that way.

Puck passed it without complaint. It was an unusual action, and it would have been commented on had it not been for the high-strung tension in the air that was almost tangible. No one wanted to break the fragile peace.

The breakfast table was quiet, save for the sounds of chewing. It was nerve-wracking, but Sabrina was more concerned with her mother. Veronica Grimm had bags under her eyes, evidence of nights spent tossing and turning. She wondered what could possibly be on her mother's mind.

Just as she was thinking this, the phone rang, and Sabrina was sure everyone jumped about a foot.

"I'll get it!" Veronica and Henry both said at the same time, but Veronica rose and hurried into the kitchen.

"Yes. Mmhmm. Okay. I'll be right there," she heard Veronica say in the living room.

Puck looked at Sabrina questioningly.

_What was that?_ He seemed to ask.

The girl shrugged, answering mentally.

_How am I supposed to know?_

He rolled his eyes but continued eating. Boys had such short attention spans.

"Mom, where are you going?" Sabrina asked suspiciously.

"Nowhere," Veronica said, as she grabbed her red coat and started for the door without stopping.

"You have to be going somewhere, though," she insisted.

"Sabrina, honey," Veronica said in a very irritated tone, "Not now. Maybe when I get home, okay?"

Sabrina could only nod.

And Veronica Grimm left. Two hours later, she returned, with no explanation for where she'd been.

But when Sabrina wanted to know something, she didn't just sit around, waiting for it to happen. She made it happen. And that was exactly what she did.

(*********************************************)

"Let's go over the plan one more time, just to make sure we've all got it, okay?" Sabrina said to Puck and Daphne. They were in Daphne's room, cowering from Veronica who looked like she might snap if anyone got too close.

"The _plan_," Puck said, putting emphasis on the word, "is stupid."

Daphne rolled her eyes. "It's a perfectly good plan. You know, with a couple of tweaks."

"Excuse me?" Sabrina asked, "What's so terrible about it? Mom goes out, Puck flies us around to follow her, we see where she goes, the end. It's probably something perfectly innocent anyway, like checking up on an Everafter and she just doesn't want Dad to blow."

"What if she sees us?" Puck asked.

"Well, she won't. That's kind of the point," Sabrina replied.

"But what if she does?"

"Then Daphne will do something with her magic stuff."

"I'm right here!" the little girl cried.

"See?" Sabrina said triumphantly, "She will."

"I don't like this," Puck said, shaking his head.

"You don't like anything," Sabrina said.

"And I suppose you're telling me _you_ like everything?"

"Guys!" Daphne squealed, trying to keep a fight from breaking out, "Let's calm down. We'll just go through with the plan and see where it goes. Okay?"

"Fine, Marshmallow," Puck conceded, "I mean, we haven't been in any danger in _ages_. I miss it"

"It's been only, like, weeks for you," Sabrina said.

"Exactly my point," he said, unknowingly repeating what Henry had said weeks before.

And at that moment, his resemblance to Henry was so scary that Sabrina shuddered.

**AN: Alright guys, let me just start off by saying I am currently working on a new story called "The Bizarre Life and Times of Robin Goodfellow". I'm hoping it will catch on, so PLEASE check it out! I'd really appreciate it.**

**Now, the winner of the quote thing was … PuckRules, for the quote: "And by the way, you don't need the makeup."! I love that one too! So sweet :D!**

**And for my anonymous reviewers:**

**maylona99: Puck's not gone, don't worry. I love him too much for that :)**

**Mini: Thanks for saying I should write a book! Believe me, I've tried. I have, like, a dozen half finished works. Main problem for me: I can't carry out a plot. So I seriously hope I'll be able to manage this one, because otherwise… yeah. But thanks for reviewing and check out my new story, please!**

**Guys, reviews are how I know that I need to keep going. If I don't get reviews, then I assume you aren't interested. And no, I'm not milking for reviews (though I do enjoy having my ego boosted once in a while, :D), I'm just being honest. And any way I can make this better, just tell me! And I know this was a pathetic excuse for a chapter, but I needed a filler. Sorry!**

**Thanks a bunch!**

**-Leslie Ann K.**


	7. A Small Arguement

**AN: Hey everyone! Thanks for reviewing, it really means a lot to have this story followed like this! :)**

"Everyone ready?" Sabrina whispered into her walkie-talkie from her position in the lobby of their apartment building. The walkie-talkie was an old model, one that cracked and popped at the most random times. It made it hard to hear incoming messages, a serious liability. But it was all Puck had in his stash of prank supplies, so it was what they used.

"Ready," Daphne's voice came. Sabrina waited for the third person to make the necessary reply. Silence.

"Puck," she said, keeping her voice low, "Are you ready?"

"No," Puck's voice snapped through the walkie-talkie.

"What's taking you so long?" Sabrina asked, annoyed.

"I'm sorry," he said, and she could see his sneer even though he was standing in front of a deli on the next block over, "It's not that easy to transform into a pigeon in front of a guy who keeps trying to sell you bagels. Who needs bagels anyway? They're just unfinished forms of like, donuts or whatever."

"Aren't donuts and bagels made from different dough?" Daphne wondered from her room. They had all agreed that someone should stay behind and "hold down the fort" as Sabrina put it.

"Who cares?" Sabrina exclaimed, "Just transform without anybody noticing you! Hide behind, like, a dumpster or something! We don't have any forgetful dust, so just don't mess this up. I'd rather _not_ have your face splattered across the news."

"Pity," Puck murmured from his end, "The attention would have been awesome. Except, you know, no ever actually _notices_ anything here."

"I'm going to get a cookie, okay?" Daphne said, who didn't like being in the middle of a fight, "Don't start anything without me!" They heard her walkie-talkie fall to the ground. It started a whole new round of cracks, irritating Sabrina even more.

"The world doesn't revolve around you, Puck," she reminded him after a moment.

"And to think," he said, his voice distorted by the terrible reception, "that I wasn't going to prank you today. I was going to be too busy, but now… expect the unexpected, Grimm."

"Did you just seriously attempt to sound mysterious?" she asked.

"I think it worked," Puck said, indignant.

"Really?" Sabrina was skeptical.

"I brought my prank supplies, Grimm."

"I'm very scared," she said.

"You should be."

"I was being sarcastic," Sabrina informed him.

"I _knew_ that. And if you're not afraid of me, there's obviously something very wrong with your brain."

"Says the boy who has trouble counting to three."

"I'm better now!" Puck insisted, "I can count to ten with no help at all!"

"That's impressive. For a kindergartener."

"That's demeaning."

"You're right," Sabrina said as an after-thought, "That would be an insult to the kindergartners."

"Says the girl who came up with the plan that's going to get her grounded for the rest of the year," he retorted.

"We're not going to get caught!"

"Grimm, you don't give your mother enough credit."

"What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well, she's still breathing, isn't she?"

"_I'm_ still breathing."

"But that's because you have me."

"You're point is?"

"She must be one tough cookie to have survived all that."

"She had my dad," the girl said stiffly.

"Not when they moved back to New York the first time. Not now."

Sabrina didn't answer, mostly because she knew he was right and didn't especially want to admit it.

"I'm back!" Daphne squeaked a minute later, "What did I miss?"

"Nothing, Marshmallow," Puck sighed, "Your sister was just being her usual jerky self."

"It gets annoying after a while, doesn't it?" Daphne asked knowingly.

Sabrina counted to ten very slowly, and when that didn't work, thought of how she could probably strangle Puck in his sleep if she really wanted to. The thought made her smile.

(***)

"Mom's gone," Daphne said over the walkie-talkie. Sabrina instantly ran outside to meet Puck, who had (finally) transformed into a pigeon. When she found him, they were to hide behind the dumpster because that's what everyone did in spy movies. The ones with the small budget.

A problem arose immediately: there was a whole flock of pigeons outside the building and she had no way of knowing which one was Puck.

"Puck!" Sabrina whisper-yelled to the pigeons, because everyone knows it's considered crazy to be talking to birds, even in New York City, "Where _are_ you?"

The pigeons continued pecking the sidewalk, searching for invisible crumbs.

"This isn't funny! Mom's going to come out any second!"

The birds mindlessly tapped their beaks, oblivious.

"Puck!"

At that instant, something landed on her shoulder. She almost screamed, _would_ have, had she not realized it was a pigeon. Or more accurately, Puck.

"I _hate_ you," she whispered as they got behind the dumpster. The odor was sickening, the only thing she had ever smelled that was worse than Puck's. It was a miracle that the boy was actually cleaner than a trash can, in her mind. Otherwise, Sabrina would have been convinced he was too far gone in that department.

"I doubt that," Puck said as he turned back into his normal form.

"Why?"

"Because you _love_ me," he smirked.

_Not _that_ again_, Sabrina thought helplessly. She couldn't say no because…because it would offend him! Yes! And…and then he wouldn't help them find out what her mother was up to. And she couldn't say yes because she didn't. Love him, she meant. Maybe she'd liked him a little before, but now…now he had been gone for too long. Yep. He had gone and now she didn't even _like_ him anymore. Right? Right. Nothing to fear. Just don't answer, don't answer…

"I'm right, aren't I?" he said in a sing-song voice.

"What's that behind you?" Sabrina yelled loudly. At this point, she didn't care if the whole _city_ heard. She just had to steer away from that topic of conversation. The idea that people might wonder why they were in such a private place did not occur to her, thankfully. She might have had a heart attack if it had.

Puck turned around. "That's what people call a brick wall, Grimm."

"Oh," she said, making a show of being relieved, "I thought-,"

"Guys!" Daphne's voice crackled from the walkie-talkie, "She's coming! Why aren't you guys in position yet?"

"Cool it, Marshmallow," Puck reassured her, "We're in position. Your sister here just got scared of a wall."

"What?" Daphne asked, perplexed.

"Never mind," he sighed, "Your family would have long since been pushing up daisies if it wasn't been for me, you do know that, right?"

"Yes, _Puck_," Sabrina said, snatching away the walkie-talkie, "How could we forget, with you reminding us all the time?"

He frowned. "Grimm, I-."

"She's coming!" Daphne said, and Sabrina and Puck instantly dived to the ground, even though the dumpster was so big it could probably hide them both standing upright.

"Turn into a bird and follow her!" Sabrina whispered.

"Then how am I supposed to keep you safe, ugly?" he fired back.

"I don't _need_ a protector," she snapped.

"No," Puck corrected, "You just don't need me."

He spun around and became a pigeon. The bird's-his- head turned to look at her for a moment, but then he was gone. Flying away because the girl in the green coat had told him to, following that girl's mother, the lady in the red scarf, because she wanted him to. That girl never wondered why he did it anyway, when in his mind she had basically told him that she didn't need him in her life. It was a pity, because then she might have called out to him to stop. And if he had, well, then maybe their story would have turned out differently.

**AN: A bit of a darker note. Huh. Wonder why… :) **

**Anyway, to my anonymous reviewers: (well, there's only one of you this time). Mini: You should get your own fanfic account! I'm sure you have a bunch of ideas! :)**

**And on a final note: I am back at tennis camp, and I'm not sure whether this will slow or quicken my update speed. So don't be mad if I go a long time without writing!**

**Thanks a bunch and REVIEW!**

**~Leslie Ann K.**


	8. Confessions with a Dose of SpongeBob

**AN: Sorry this is a short chapter, but I thought you guys deserved **_**something**_**, after the hilarious reviews I got! This scene is to kinda remind you guys about Sabrina's internal struggle mentioned in chapter 1. Also, I still have to figure out whether Puck gets caught or not. **

"He should have been back by now," Sabrina told Daphne for the millionth time as she paced the living room. "Why isn't he back yet?" she rounded on her little sister as if she was purposely withholding the answer.

Daphne looked up in annoyance from her place on the couch. The girl was watching a new SpongeBob episode, and she evidently did not appreciate being interrupted.

"Mom probably just took a while getting there," Daphne said, clearly distracted by whatever stupid thing Patrick was currently doing on the television screen, "Or maybe he was caught," she added as an after-thought.

Sabrina glared at her sister. "Not helping."

"Sorry," Daphne shrugged, not sounding very sorry at all, "What do you want me to say? You were pretty mean to him."

"I was not!" she exclaimed, indignant, "Besides, how would you know?"

"Your face is always turns red whenever you guys have an argument," Daphne said matter-of-factly, "And you told me you're really worried about him. You never admit that unless you feel guilty."

Sabrina took a seat beside Daphne on the couch and put her head in her hands.

"First," she said, her voice muffled, "My face does _not_ turn red when we argue. That's only when he embarrasses me."

"Because I'm a good sister," Daphne said, still not taking her eyes off the screen, "I won't ask for any more details, even though," she paused and looked to her sister with big, trusting eyes, "It would make me very-no, _extremely_-happy if you shared them."

Sabrina was reminded why it was never a good idea to have a heart-to-heart with your rather big-mouthed little sister in the middle of a SpongeBob episode. It never worked out quite the way you pictured in your head.

"Second," she tried her best to ignore Daphne's comment, "I only worry about him in life-or-death situations. And I don't _tell_ anyone because it's completely normal not to want someone who's lived with you for two years to die. It's practically expected." She said it so convincingly she could almost believe it herself.

"What about Mirror?" Daphne wondered.

"Mirror didn't _die_," the older girl explained again (Daphne seemed to have trouble with this concept), "I gave him the power of love, and as a result he went away with no violent-bordering-on-homicidal urges to wherever and I didn't blow up because I had too much magic in my body. And now everybody's happy."

"Except Uncle Jake and Morgan le Fay and -," Daphne started to say, but Sabrina cut her off.

"Fine. Maybe that's an exaggeration. But _most_ people are happy."

Daphne was silent for a moment. "Are you happy, Sabrina?"

"Of course," she said, trying not to gag on the lie, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Daphne decided it would be smarter not to answer that particular question.

**AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I know I say this all the time, but I really do mean it. :) The reason I make a point to thank my anonymous reviewers is because I can't do it over PM like everyone else. I believe every reviewer deserves to know I read what they thought.**

**And now to my previously mentioned amazing anonymous reviewers:**

**taco luver: I can't promise to put in any tacos, but I'll try :). And thanks!**

**maylona99: Unfortunately, this is yet another short chapter. I have a tendency to write short (though important) scenes. I could group a bunch of the scenes together, I guess, but that would take a lot longer. But thanks for being a super faithful reviewer!**

**Mini: PM me as soon as you do!**

**karatequeen78: Thanks for the review! I try my best. :)**

**lulu: It cracked me up when you said you'd do something drastic! My friends and I always said we'd go to Michael Buckley's/Cassandra Clare's/Rick Riordan's (depending on what book we were obsessed with that particular day) house with a chainsaw if they didn't give us their manuscripts RIGHT THAT SECOND. :D**

**Callirose12: Yours was another hilarious review! I think I basically died laughing. I completely agree, though. Sabrina is the most bone-headed idiot ever. But I figure if she manages to scare him off, he'll be a free man. XD**

**PenguinLoverGurl: I love penguins too (random, I know)! Thanks for saying you like the self-doubt/questions! I'll try to put more of that in.**

** Well guys, most of you are probably asking: **_**What kind of sorry excuse for a chapter is **_**that? It's the one where I feel super guilty that I've been paying more attention to my other story. So yeah, apologies aside, REVIEW PEOPLE!**

** Thanks a bunch!**

** -Leslie Ann K.**


	9. Pigeons

**AN: Oh my God, guys. I am SUCH a terrible person! Of course, it's EXACTLY like me to get so completely wrapped up in my own, original story that I don't work on my fan fiction. At all. **

** So yes, this chapter is pathetic, but like I said, I am completely swamped with tennis camp. Sorry! Though honestly, I think it's a wonder no one has told me my writing is getting worse and worse. At least in this story.**

It was fifteen minutes into the SpongeBob episode when the tapping started.

At first, Sabrina dismissed it as merely a leak in the faucet, sure it would go away in a couple seconds. When it didn't, she became convinced there was something wrong with the plumbing or the ventilation system. Three minutes later, the idea that maybe someone was hammering a nail into a wall a couple of floors down entered her head. But it was too erratic, too insistent to be any of those.

"Do you hear that?" she asked Daphne after a while.

"What?" Daphne said distractedly, and it was immediately clear that the little girl was no longer on planet Earth.

"Never mind," Sabrina sighed as she got up from the couch. She didn't know exactly where she was going, but anywhere was better than simply wallowing in her own anxiety. Having a problem to solve would be good for her.

She checked the bathrooms first; all the faucets were completely turned off. No leaks, then. Next she looked into a ventilation shaft to see if there was an object blocking the air flow. There was nothing there, but then Sabrina didn't really expect there to be. If there had been, the noise would have been much louder.

She was just walking back towards the living room to finish watching the episode with Daphne when the tapping became even more demanding. It made Sabrina want to scream with frustration.

She followed the sound all the way to their rickety fire escape. It was probably just a squirrel, she reasoned, or some other small animal. Something stupid and pointless and—

It was a pigeon. An extremely irritated, dirty pigeon. But to Sabrina, it felt like she had just won the lottery a million times over.

(***)

"Do you want the good news or the bad news first?" Puck asked her and Daphne five minutes later as they all gathered around him, forming a triangle on the living room floor.

"I could use some good news," Sabrina admitted.

"I know where she went," Puck grinned at his accomplishment.

"That's great!" Daphne exclaimed, "Right, Sabrina?"

But Sabrina was more concerned with the information Puck had gained.

"Where _did_ she go?" the older girl asked suspiciously.

His face fell. "That's the bad news."

"Well?" Sabrina prompted impatiently. Puck paused, as if unsure whether to tell her.

"She went to Sinbad's."

"Oh."

**AN: I will explain why Sinbad's is bad in the next chapter. Yes, this chapter COULD be longer, but I wanted to leave off on a cliffy. I'm extremely devious this way. :)**

** To the anonymous reviewers:**

**PenguinLoverGurl: No one's ever really quoted me back to me before! :) Thanks! I try my best. :D**

**Guest: HE CAME BACK! :)**

**Arieh: Love your name, btw. Sadly, I do not think I can put in a talking horse for a least a couple of chapters. But DEFINTELY for when they meet some Everafters :).**

** And that's it! Thanks a lot you guys! I am having some Sisters Grimm writer's block at the moment, so sorry, but I'm a perfectionist and it irritates me whenever I have to work through the tough spots in a story.**

** Thanks a bunch!**

** -Leslie Ann K.**


	10. Pirates Are Bad

**AN: Hey everyone! I must be the laziest author in the whole world. *sigh*. When we last left off, Puck had just said that Veronica was visiting Sinbad. Now, VERONICA IS NOT CHEATING ON HENRY! I repeat, SHE IS NOT CHEATING ON HENRY. Okay? Good? :) Awesome!**

Daphne simply stared at her sister and Puck, extremely perplexed at the reaction to Veronica's destination.

"Why is Sinbad _bad_?" the little girl asked in bewilderment.

"He's a pirate, Marshmallow," Puck said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"_So_?"

"You can't trust pirates," Sabrina explained, "They're loyal only to themselves."

"They're scammers, the whole lot of them," Puck sighed in disgust, "You win a thousand dollars from them in a poker game, but when you take the cash home, ready to buy a bunch of supremely awesome video games, you find it's all counterfeit! Every single dollar! Not," he added quickly when he saw Sabrina and Daphne's appalled expressions, "that that has ever happened to me."

"He's _good_!" Daphne wailed.

"Sorry, Marshmallow, but he's not."

The little girl stood up quickly and ran to her bedroom.

"I think we upset her," Sabrina whispered to Puck after she had gone.

"This would usually be the point where I say something awesomely clever, but I'm feeling kind of guilty right now," he replied.

"It's like Oz all over again."

"Poor Daphne. All her heroes turn out to be betraying baby-stealers or blackmailers. Except for me, of course," he added as an after-thought.

"I'm just waiting for the moment," Sabrina said, "when Daphne finally stops believing the world is a good, happy place."

"Who told you that it wasn't?"

(***)

"Daphne, _please_ come out of your room," Sabrina begged her sister for what felt like the hundredth time.

"I don't want to see you," Daphne replied sullenly.

"Look, I'm really, really sorry Sinbad isn't the good guy you always thought he was, but—."

The door Sabrina had been leaning on suddenly opened and the girl lost her balance for a moment. When she steadied herself, she found Daphne's face terrifyingly close. The little girl was red with anger and frustration, and for a second, Sabrina couldn't register that _this_ was Daphne. Her sister was normally so cheerful, so optimistic that she made your day better simply by smiling. This one was…angry. But underneath that anger lingered the hurt. The hurt that Sabrina knew only too well.

"_You_," Daphne whispered fiercely, "don't know anything. You hate Everafters, make up any excuse just so you won't have to deal with them. You don't think of them as real people because they're _different_."

"That's not true!" Sabrina defended, but Daphne wasn't finished.

"I'm sorry for you, Sabrina, I really am. Because you know what? Eventually, people are going to get sick of you. Of your hate. I love you," Daphne's voice cracked, "I really do. But I can't put up with this anymore. You've lied to me, stolen—what's next?"

Sabrina was speechless. A thousand things were racing through her mind—but most of all, she saw that Daphne wasn't the naïve little girl she had been three years ago.

She didn't know why she hadn't realized it sooner.

"I want to be alone now," Daphne said quietly. Sabrina nodded and the door closed softly.

Then tears started leaking down her face, leaving salty tracks behind that she didn't bother to wipe away. Because everything Daphne had said was true; it just hurt too much to admit.

**AN: Quite an emotional chapter for Sabrina :). K, so those who DO read my author's notes (there can't be THAT many of you, but still), here's a special little message.**

** One of my real-life best friends, who goes by the pen name **_**siriusfreddobbylupin**_** introduced me to fanfic a couple of months ago and told me that I should get an account. So really, she is who you all owe this story to! **

** So anyways, she writes Harry Potter fanfic (as you can probably tell by the name) and has this one story called "A Delve Into Shadows" which is SUPER good but no one has actually reviewed! *gasp* So please check it out, because she shouldn't be ignored just because the Harry Potter fandom is hard to break into. Here is the link: s/8271323/1/A_Delve_into_Shadows**

** Now onto my guest reviewers!**

** maylona99: No, Ronnie isn't cheating, as I said above (I just knew everyone would jump to that conclusion!).**

** G: Thank you! And I like my name, too :D. Which is, you know, probably why I picked it!**

** Arieh: Of course! :) **

** PenguinLoverGurl: Ha! He'd love that…**

** As always, thanks a bunch to EVERYONE! :) Please REVIEW!**

** -Leslie **


	11. Phone Call

**AN: Wow. That hiatus lasted exactly…four days. Yep, you guys beat me down that quickly. But thanks. I guess I needed it. :)**

** Quick question: emowriter and I were recently debating which is better—unicorns or vampires. Answer in your reviews if you read my crazy author notes!**

Daphne didn't speak to her for days. Sabrina had expected it, known it was coming, but she still found herself unprepared for just how much it _hurt_. The worst part was, it was the little things that did it. How Daphne wouldn't quite meet her eyes at meals, wouldn't ask her what some word meant, wouldn't even acknowledge her presence. And every time, it still took Sabrina's breath away.

She was only doing the best she could to protect Daphne. Why couldn't her little sister see that? She shifted her position on the overstuffed couch and flipped absent-mindedly through the channels. She chewed on her lip as she rejected them one by one; Animal Planet, FOX, Disney, FOOD.

More scenes flashed before her eyes before she finally found what she was looking for. She put the remote gently down on the glass coffee table in front of her and leaned back into the couch to watch.

SpongeBob was onscreen, talking to Patrick in front of Sandy's house. The volume was too low for Sabrina to hear what was being said, but she didn't reach for the remote. Instead, she hugged her knees to her chest and closed her eyes, remembering the last time she'd watched this show. It'd been with Daphne, right before Puck came back and she'd found out her mother had been going. It was that information that started this ridiculous silent treatment, she reminded herself softly. It was so hard to believe that was only four days ago. It felt like a lifetime.

Sabrina didn't know how long she sat there. But when she opened her eyes, the television was turned off, she was covered with a thin blanket, and it was much darker than it should have been for five in the afternoon. The thought jolted her awake; she hadn't realized she'd dozed off.

She rose quietly, not wanting to disturb her family or Puck. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she made her way to the kitchen for a glass of water. Her throat felt awfully dry.

She tiptoed through the apartment, very aware the bedrooms were just around the corner. The microwave displayed green, glowing numbers that seemed to imbed themselves into Sabrina's eyelids. It was even sort of handy, she thought wryly. That way, she wouldn't forget it was one a.m. any time soon.

She grabbed a glass sitting next to the sink and filled it to the brim with tap water. She winced as she noticed how loud the water was. Had it always been like this? Or was it just now, when she needed to be quiet, that every sound seemed magnified?

But, Sabrina saw with relief, no one marched into the kitchen, demanding what she was doing up this early in the morning. Everyone was sound asleep. She was alone. So why did she feel like she committing a crime? Her nerves were fried, her head pounded, and she felt like she was going insane from worry and anger. She was thirteen. She didn't need this.

Almost unconsciously, Sabrina felt her gaze being drawn to the landline. She set her glass down—half empty now—on the kitchen table, and walked to it in a daze. Once she was there, she simply looked at it, rubbing her temples. Hadn't her mother called Sinbad only an hour before Sabrina had fallen asleep? She sighed at the crazy thing she was about to do and hoped no one had used the phone since.

She picked the phone up like it was radioactive. Then with trembling fingers, Sabrina pressed the redial button.

What were the odds someone would answer the phone this early anyway? The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she listened to the dial tone. But at least she could tell Daphne she'd tried, and maybe—just maybe—the little girl would forgive her.

"Hello?" a gruff voice asked, and Sabrina, to her utter horror, squeaked like a little girl and almost dropped the phone.

"Hello?" he repeated. The girl cleared her throat in embarrassment.

"Sorry," she apologized, "Could I talk to Sinbad?"

The voice paused, as if debating what to say. "Name?"

Sabrina paused. Should she lie? Almost immediately she discounted the thought. She'd only lose what little trust she had.

"Sabrina Grimm. Veronica's daughter."

"Sabrina! I remember you! I was there when you were chasing Cobweb, see. You were a good girl, I thought. Got some spunk in you."

The girl grimaced.

"Sorry, dear," the man continued with a laugh, "But it's one in the morning! He's not here. Sleeping, the lazy bum. Would you like me to give him a message?"

"No, thank you," Sabrina said softly into the darkness, "Have a good night."

"Tell your sister I said hello."

"I will."

She hung up.

Sabrina stared at the phone a little longer, knowing she'd accomplished absolutely nothing. Then she heard a small creak and soft footsteps. Puck emerged in his Power Ranger footie pajamas, bleary eyed.

"Sabrina?" he asked sleepily, "Everything okay?"

"Fine," she forced a smile. "Just getting a glass of water. Go back to bed."

He just stood there for a moment, and Sabrina felt transparent, like she was a pane of glass and he could see right through her. But then he nodded and walked away.

It must have been her imagination after all.

** So sorry for that crazy move! Hopefully it won't happen again. See how susceptible I am to peer pressure? :)**

** To my anonymous reviewers:**

** Guest: Hiatus is when someone takes a break from something (i.e., me taking a break from writing this story). **

** PenguinLoverGurl: Is your father better? **

** Guest: Sorry?**

** Thanks a bunch and PLEASE REVIEW! :)**

** -Leslie Ann**


	12. Conversations

**AN: Hey guys! I'm back! *does happy dance* So this chapter right here…it just kind of popped out. And I liked it. So yes, the ENTIRE following chapter consists of conversations between Puck and Sabrina. Okay?**

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT PLEASE READ: I have started a story on FictionPress called "Lina Seymour". It's under the same pen name, Leslie Ann K. This is the link:**

** s/3055333/1/Lina-Seymour**

**Please leave a review! Thank you!**

**11:48 PM**

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

"You remind me almost daily, Puck. I'm not sure I could ignore you _that_ often."

"Just checking."

"…This is crazy, isn't it?"

"Suicidal."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"No problem. Just remember that the Trickster King was _never_ here, Grimm."

"Fine. What should I say you were doing?"

"Planning some awesome pranks?"

"How about playing with your little stuffed unicorn? Much more believable."

"Really? As long as I don't get into trouble, I don't care. Frankly, Grimm, your dad is scary."

"…"

**Six Hours Ago….**

"Please!"

"No."

"Please!"

"Never."

"Puck!"

"Die."

"What?"

"You heard me. I'm not taking any part of your insane do-it-all-myself schemes, Grimm!"

(A bit hurt) "You could have just said so. You didn't have to tell me to die."

"I thought it was more dramatic that way."

(Thinks for a moment) "Understandably so."

(***)

**1 Hour and Twenty-two Minutes Later…**

"Please!"

"Okay, okay! Fine. Just stop…saying…please. Please."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You sound a lot like Daphne. It's weird."

(Quiet for a moment) "I know. I guess I'm just trying to be a bit happier."

"You really want her to forgive you, don't you?"

"Yeah. I do."

**Fifteen Minutes After That…**

"Puck!"

"What?"

"How are we supposed to get anything done if you keep goofing off?"

"_Maybe_ if you hadn't vetoed all the good plans—,"

"They involved storming the port. With wooden swords. The two of us. Against forty experienced pirates."

"—we would have already been past the planning stage."

"You're hopeless."

"So you keep telling me."

"I don't know why I came to you."

"Was it because you're in such awe of my genius? Because you know you're completely helpless without my awesome magical powers? Or maybe you L-O-V—."

"No! That's never going to happen, fairy boy."

"I never got that insult. What is it about being a fairy that's supposed to be so bad?"

"…"

"Well?"

"Um…I don't know."

"You need better put-downs, Grimm. Pronto."

(sighs) "Back to planning how we're going to escape the house with a believable excuse so we can go ask Sinbad some questions."

(Throws a pillow at Sabrina) "This is boring!"

"You haven't even given an idea."

"I _did_. We should storm the port—."

"With wooden swords. The two of us. Against forty experienced pirates."

"You say that like it's supposed to scare me."

"It _would_ scare a normal person. It scares me."

(Silence)

"Your parents still scare me more."

"Will you stop being such a moron!"

"Ouch. Like I said, Grimm. You need some better insults."

"Ugh!"

**Ten Minutes Later…**

"We _could_ say we're going on a date…"

"You did not just say that."

"I did indeed."

"Take it back."

"No."

"Take. It. Back."

"Is this the part where you threaten me with bodily harm?"

"We're past that point."

"Really? Sorry, I got a bit lost. Where are we now?"

"The merciless kicking."

"Wha—?"

(Muffled groans can be heard throughout the house.)

**Two Hours Later…**

"Finally!"

"This is a terrible plan."

"It's a great plan!"

"It involves sneaking out. At night. To talk to dangerous pirates!"

"I don't see how it's worse than your storming-the-port plan."

"I'm supposed to protect you, Grimm. I can do that in a fight."

"But not during an interview?"

"It's complicated!"

"Really. And a fight isn't, Puck?"

"That's different."

"You're being uncharacteristically vague."

"It's this stupid puberty virus. I can actually _feel_ myself becoming more responsible. It's sickening."

"I'm not sure what to say to that."

"It's a disease, Grimm. It's eating me alive!"

"You're such a drama queen."

"I prefer the term "moody"."

"Yeah, I'm not buying it."

"Over-zealous?"

"What did you do? Swallow a dictionary on the way here?"

"Er…"

"Oh, _God_, Puck. You didn't!"

"Sorry?"

"What am I going to tell Mom?"

"You can always use the internet to look up stuff. Much more convenient, really…"

"Sorry, Mom, Puck _ate the dictionary?_"

"It's not as bad as it sounds…"

"How do you eat a dictionary, anyway?"

"Well, I was kind of a termite—,"

"Wait. _Were you spying on me?_"

(Puck cringes slightly) "—and I was hungry. And that big, fat book was there, not really doing anything, and—,"

"You were spying, weren't you?"

"—I chewed it up just a little, I swear!"

"Puck!"

(Groans) "You have that look on your face. We're revisiting the merciless kicking, aren't we?"

(The Grimm family hears muffled groans coming from the living room. Henry glances in. He sees Sabrina kicking Puck. He smiles.)

**AN: Hopefully you enjoyed reading that as much as I did writing it! :D **

**Alright, so I was kind of disappoint that no one said vampires…but whatever. Vamicorns + Unicorns rock too! XD It's not really a fair debate.**

** To my amazing anonymous reviewers:**

** emowriter: I, in all honesty, wanted to write some Puckabrina. But I got too tired. And it kind of seemed like the right time to end the chapter. I'm a cruel person, I know. *laughs evilly but dissolves into a coughing fit* XD about the vamicorn part. I LIKE Pearl/Ethan, but a book called "Rampant" really ruined unicorns for me, that's all. :)**

** PenguinLoverGurl: Like I said above: the book "Rampant" completely ruined unicorns for me. :) But a lot of reviewers are really changing my mind! Thank you!**

** Queen of Valencia Torgue: Thanks!**

** CC Tiger: Sorry! Like I said, I wanted to do some Puckabrina, but it just felt right to end the chapter there. :( But I think you'll be happy with this chapter…**

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READS MY STORIES! Please check out "Lina Seymour" on FictionPress! I would love some reviews! **

** Thanks a bunch and REVIEW!**

** -Leslie**


	13. Shacks

**AN: Sorry about any confusion in the last chapter! I was pretty sure I said above that it was all between Sabrina and Puck, and I think I made enough references by name to understand whose speaking. The majority seemed to get it, though, so if you had a problem with it could you please PM me? Or if you're a guest could you submit a review telling me those scenes that you didn't get? Thanks!**

** I know this is short! Please don't shoot! :D WE REACHED 107 REVIEWS! You guys are the best! :) Despite the shortness, though, this is pretty quality, I think. Fluffy…maybe. OOC….eh. Puck was serious in the last couple of books, so there. :) Enjoy!**

So there she was, hiding behind a long-deserted shack across the street from the marina. The putrid smell of decaying fish was in the air, and her legs burned from hours spent crouching. For late September, it was unseasonably cold, frosty enough that when she exhaled, clearly visible white puffs of air came out. Sabrina shivered and pulled her green coat tighter around her body. She'd had better Saturday nights.

"I'm bored," Puck complained from his spot next to her. There wasn't much room behind the building (more like a haphazardly stacked pile of wood, in her opinion), much to Sabrina's regret. This meant for the past two hours, she'd had to listen to Puck's every annoyance (of which there were many) and every warning that this was a very bad idea (of which there were infinitely more) and basically every stray thought that entered his brain (she'd stopped counting at 57).

"Then go home," Sabrina replied tiredly, her eyelids fluttering as she struggled to keep a look out for motion by the marina. It was past midnight, that much she knew. But she hadn't had the foresight to bring a watch, so she was forced to rely on her internal clock. Not a good situation, considering she was pretty positive it was still screwed up from all the sleeping in she'd done over the summer that school hadn't quite cured yet.

"You know I can't do that, Grimm." Despite the darkness, Sabrina was sure Puck was rolling his eyes.

"I don't see what's stopping you." She didn't know what she expected him to say to that. Maybe something sarcastic, something about how surprising it was that she could tie her own shoes, she had so little common sense. Maybe that _she_ was the reason. That he wanted to protect her for reasons not related to obligations to her grandmother. But whatever she'd wanted, it wasn't she got.

"I don't know," he whispered, so quietly it barely reached her ears. And Sabrina took a deep breath and did one of the bravest things in her life; she reached over and laced her fingers through his.

He didn't squeeze her hand, but he didn't pull back either. He just sat there, cross-legged in his muddy jeans with the sleeves of his hoodie rolled up just past his elbows, staring at some point across the dark street. And despite herself, it scared Sabrina a little.

"What's going to happen?" he finally asked.

"Hmm?" Sabrina asked sleepily.

"When I leave. When I go off on another godforsaken adventure and don't call or write to you for weeks? Or even months? What then?" he asked, his voice getting progressively louder and louder, but it didn't cross her mind to tell him to quiet down. "What do we do then, Sabrina?"

"But you'll come back, won't you?" she asked him in a small voice. She leaned over and rested her head on her shoulder. Somehow, it was so much easier in the darkness, when he couldn't see her and she couldn't see him.

"Of course I'll try. Of course. But we're going to grow apart. We both know that. So why are we even trying?"

"Trying what?" Sabrina lifted her head and turned to him fiercely.

"This!" Puck whisper-yelled, making wild hand gestures.

"And what is 'this'?"

"I don't know!"

"I know why, though," she shot back. "It's because we don't care. It's because whatever we say, we're still going to try to visit and write and call and stay friends. I know that's no substitute, but it's all we have. Okay?"

"I don't want you to wait for me," Puck said, shaking his head. "Get a boyfriend, get a bunch friends, have a long, amazing life that doesn't include me. I'm not worth it."

Sabrina started to open her mouth, but he beat her to it.

"I've lived a long time. I've picked up a couple of things, believe me."

Later in her life, when she was in college, Sabrina would remember that conversation with perfect clarity. _Have a long, amazing life that doesn't include me._ And she did, for a time. We all know the outcome. She left Bradley at the altar for Puck. But how she got there…that has a story. Many factors. And those words were one of them.

**AN: So long story short, I was supposed to be typing up two essays for school when I got onto the computer. Let's just say I didn't get to them. :D**

** To my amazing anonymous reviewers:**

**Queen of Valencia Torgue: Thanks so much! :D**

**Guest: Okay, so basically in the first scene they're at the place described in this chapter. Then it goes back six hours ago when Sabrina's pestering Puck to help her plan. Get it? The dictionary bit was just a little funny bit, I thought.**

**Guest: So sorry for the confusion! See above response, please!**

**PenguinLoverGurl: Thanks!**


	14. Sabrina's Mystery

**AN: This was 7 pages long! Yay! :) Thanks for being patient with me!**

**14. Sabrina's Mystery**

The warmth came first. Comforting without being smothering, it reminded her of a late December evening, of drinking cocoa and lying beside a crackling fire. The smell of pine was there, too. She inhaled, letting it fill her lungs. How long had it been since she'd had a proper Christmas with her family? At least two years.

At least two.

Her next discovery was not as pleasant; her bed was decidedly uncomfortable. She didn't know what it was, but it didn't quite _feel_ right. Her pillow, especially, was bumpy in the oddest places.

When had her mattress become so flat?

Yawning, she filed the concern in the back of her head as something to bother her father about later. Daphne needed to be woken, breakfast eaten. Strangely enough, Sabrina found she wasn't very hungry. Not even a slight craving for some toast. Frowning a bit, she shifted in her sleep. She'd think about it later.

Her eyelids fluttered open some minutes later.

Ten seconds later, she was rubbing them furiously.

Why the bloody hell was it so _dark_?

She never closed her curtains; the sun ought to have been streaming into her room for hours long passed.

Stumbling blindly for the light switch, her fingers grazed her walls (her dad really needed to repaint them) and her feet kept tripping over various objects she'd left lying around the floor.

"Ow! I think you just stepped on my face, Grimm."

"What are you _doing_?"

"Finding out what your shoe tastes like. Now there's something I can pop off the bucket list."

"Puck, I am _not_ in a good mood."

"Well, considering its two in the morning, I didn't really expect anything different."

And then, despite the fact that she _still_ couldn't see her hand in front of her face, it all came flooding back to her.

Her father was going to murder her.

"I can't _believe_ we fell asleep!" She exclaimed. "This is a stakeout!"

"You know what you need, Grimm? A dictionary. 'Cause I'm not sure you know what that word means."

"Good. You can replace the last one you ate."

"I can't believe you're still going _on_ about that. It was _ages_ ago…"

"Twelve hours."

"As I was saying." He cleared his throat dramatically. "Face it. You don't even know what the problem is. Sinbad's not even _at _the marina at this ungodly hour, and he isn't going to give you any straight answers anyway. You're at a dead end."

"This was a waste of time, wasn't it?" the girl asked dejectedly.

"Yep."

"And you didn't even tell me how bad of a plan this was!"

"I _did_. You, as I recall, were too stubborn to admit it was anything less than the best plan in the world."

"Whatever," she muttered.

"No apology?"

"I'm not very good at them."

"That's the excuse everyone uses."

"Are you accusing me of being unoriginal?"

"It depends. Will there be serious repercussions?"

"That dictionary has gone to your head."

"You are what you eat."

"Fair enough," she shrugged. "Should we go back?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm not your personal taxi, you know."

"I know."

(***)

Sabrina had not been thinking, two days ago, when she'd suggested staking-out the marina. She didn't know what she'd expected: suspicious-looking people clad in black sneaking around, maybe a sign proclaiming "Illegal Activities Being Practiced Here".

Something, though. Something.

Now there was no other option than to confront her mother and ask her about it, point-blank. She worried about it constantly.

"What are you so scared of?" Puck wondered at one point. "I'll go ask, if you want."

"No!" she rounded on him, "It has to be me."

"Why?"

"Because—because—How should I know?"

And that was the problem, really. She didn't _know_ anything. She didn't know what she was supposed to be asking about, didn't know if it even existed outside of her own head. It was maddening.

"Daphne, have you noticed anything odd about Mom lately?" Sabrina asked her sister one morning (breakfast was their truce time. After that…well, all bets were off).

"No," the little girl said, sipping her orange juice and simultaneously watching the SpongeBob episode she'd missed yesterday.

"Nothing?" Sabrina pressed, "She's not unusually quiet or anything?"

"Jeez, Sabrina," Daphne said, more to the TV screen than to her, "Everything's fine. Ever since we moved here, we've been fine."

"And you don't find that boring?"

"I mean, I miss everyone, sure. I miss Ms. White, and Granny, and Uncle Jake. Elvis, of course, and the mysteries, too. But…not as much as I thought I would."

"Oh. Okay." And they left it at that.

Was she really so desperate for _something_ to happen, Sabrina wondered, that she was actually inventing everything? Charming had said something about that when she'd first met him, the girl remembered. Something about trying to solve a mystery that wasn't even there in the first place.

Was that her, now?

Granny had called a couple of night ago, and the entire family took turns talking to her, asking how Ferryport Landing was (much the same as it always was, the old woman chuckled), how Mr. Canis and Red were (holding up nicely) and whether there was as much trouble as they had expected (no, not much at all, she assured them—they took this to mean she was currently juggling at least three cases).

Sabrina heard these accounts second-hand. She was certain, more than anything else, that the moment she heard Granny's voice would be the moment she would finally break down and admit that the happily ever after she had always imagined for herself was not very happy after all.

And more than anything else in the world, Sabrina Grimm hated being wrong.

(***)

"Mom?"

"Yes, honey?"

Her mother was sitting at the kitchen table, magazine in one hand and coffee in the other. Her hair was in a messy bun, the kind she wore when she was too lazy to bother with it. Sabrina liked it best that way.

"Is there something….something I should know about?"

Her mother lowered the magazine and placed the coffee cup in between them.

"What do you mean?"

"Just…I don't know," she said, "You've just seemed a little strange lately."

"Have I?" Veronica asked, fingering a loose curl of hair. Sabrina couldn't tell whether her mother's voice was truly curious or slightly defensive.

"Am I overreacting?" Sabrina wondered. "I feel like I am, but if there was one thing that Granny managed to teach me is to go with my hunches. Sorry, I—oh." The last part was spoken in a whisper.

"Are you all right?" Her mother asked.

"The boat. I just realized."

"Sorry?"

"All those weeks ago. You said we were getting a boat from Sinbad. But you never mentioned it again."

"I—."

"But there's no boat, is there?" Sabrina pressed. "Is there?"

Her mother opened her mouth, but then closed it. It was several moments before she spoke.

"This wasn't supposed to happen."

"What wasn't?" Sabrina demanded.

"I promised your father no more mysteries. At least until we get settled."

"But you did, anyway."

"Frankly, I don't even have all the details yet. Let's just say Sinbad's been having some problems with Long John Silver."

Sabrina shuddered; her last encounter with Silver was still seared into her memory.

"Listen, you can't tell your father."

"I know," Sabrina smiled wryly, "I don't need another lecture about the dangers of magical objects."

"Exactly," Veronica muttered.

And they left it at that.

(***)

It should have felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

And it did, at first. Her mind felt clearer, the pounding headaches vanished, and she finally managed to yell at Puck properly for eating the dictionary (her heart hadn't been in it before).

Then, if anything, she experienced a relapse.

It became _all_ she thought about. She constantly ran through scenarios, through possible ways she could drag Puck into another stakeout.

It wasn't healthy.

But for Sabrina Grimm, the mystery hadn't really started (not yet).

**AN: I'm making an effort to make my chapter longer! :D**

** To my amazing anonymous reviewers!**

** Guest: Sorry if that was confusing! The story isn't finished yet! **

** PenguinLoverGurl: Puckabrina forever! :D **

7


	15. Questions

**15. Questions**

"Remember what I said, keep quiet, observe and note _every _detail, and—."

"Don't draw unwanted attention to ourselves," Sabrina finished. "Mom, we know. You've already said it about five times."

"Four, actually," Puck muttered from beside her. "Not that I was counting or anything."

Sabrina glared at him half-heartedly. Even his pessimism, even the biting wind of late fall, couldn't spoil the elation of finally getting the chance to _do_ something.

It was strange to think that just a little over a year ago, she hadn't wanted to be a Grimm at all.

It was early November, and the few trees there were in that part of the city stripped bare of leaves. Sabrina wrapped her green coat tighter around her, savoring its warmth. The first snow was right around the corner. She could feel its chill in the air, see the gray clouds heavy with anticipation.

New York, with its traffic-jammed streets, dirty sidewalks, and overpopulated area, was somehow beautiful in the fall.

"Okay, I mean, even though he's supposed to evil, I think he's kind of cool," Puck said as they walked, "Isn't there a whole _chain _of seafood restaurants named after him? Why don't I get that?"

"Because no one actually knows who you are," Sabrina rolled her eyes.

"But I'm in the most famous of all Shakespeare's plays!"

"What about _Romeo and Juliet_?"

"Besides _Romeo and Juliet!" _

"Well, I thought you were Peter Pan when I first met you," the girl shrugged.

"I am _nothing_ like that tight-wearing _git!"_

"And Daphne thought you were Santa's elf." Sabrina smiled at the memory.

"I will not listen to you insult my honor," Puck said self-righteously.

Thankfully for all of those present, Puck didn't get the chance to do anything drastic. At that moment, Veronica took a deep breath and turned to the two teenagers.

"Please. For the sake of my sanity, stop arguing. And _try_ not to cause a scene."

And with those words, the trio entered Starbucks for a meeting with the famous Long John Silver.

(***)

"Okay, my respect for the guy is officially gone," Puck announced fifteen minutes later, "How is he _this_ late?"

Sabrina eyed the fairy warily. He was on his fifth cup of hot chocolate; there was no telling what he might do.

"I'm sure he just got held up in traffic, that's all," Veronica said, clearly distracted.

"And my father had a heart-attack," he quipped.

And of course, that was the moment Long John Silver chose to enter the coffee shop.

"Really? That fiancé of yours didn't poison him? Now _that'll_ go for a bit of dough on the information market," a man in a silver business suit said as he slipped into the booth opposite Sabrina, Veronica, and Puck.

"I was being sarcastic," Puck deadpanned.

"No, no, it's fine, kid," Silver said as he checked something on his Blackberry, "I'll give you five percent."

"I really don't think that's a good idea—," Veronica began.

"I admit, that was a bit cheap of me," the ex-pirate interrupted, "I'll give you ten percent, at most."

"Fifteen," Puck said, indignant. Sabrina punched him in the arm.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, "What was that for?"

"You are not going to make a deal with a _pirate_. Especially when you're lying to him," Sabrina said through gritted teeth.

"Ex-pirate," Puck corrected, "And he's going to cheat me anyway."

"Right you are," Silver nodded, "A sharp one, I see. Yours?" he asked Veronica.

She blushed and shook her head. Sabrina thought that if her father was here, he would have died at the possibility of being related to the fairy.

"Anyway, back to business," Veronica redirected, "Are you destroying Sinbad's boats?"

Silver stopped looking through his email. Slowly, so slowly it was hard to look away, he set the phone down on the table, took out his Bluetooth, and turned his full attention to the Grimm family.

"Why, in the name of all that is holy, would I do _that_?"

It took all of Sabrina's strength not to flinch from his gaze.

"Well, it's just that you and Sinbad have never really been on good terms…," the girl started, only to be silenced by a look from her mother.

"It doesn't make sense to me, either," Veronica said. "You don't benefit. You won't make any money, unless you're being employed by someone, but it's highly unlikely that someone would hire you just to wreck another man's boat. It might be for revenge, but you operate for gain. Which is why," she said, twirling her straw around her drink, "I'm asking you."

Silver paused. "I don't know what to tell you, other than I'm not your guy."

"We understand," Veronica said after a moment, staring into her cup, "Thank you for your time."

"Anything to meet the famous Grimms," he smiled, revealing several gold teeth. Then he stood, nodded goodbye, and left. It was several minutes before anyone spoke.

"So what do we do now?" Sabrina asked her mother.

"I don't know," her mother replied, "I just don't know."

**AN: I have an excuse. Really, I do. I had a three-day overnight field trip to an island (with NO shower. Awkward, I know), which is why I haven't updated. Thanks for being so patient with me!**

** I realize this story is getting worse and worse. But I'm really bad at finishing stories, so I'm seeing this through to the end. Okay. Deep breath. Good. **

** To my amazing anonymous reviewers (and to everyone who has stuck with me through this mess of a story):**

** Guest: Thanks!**

** PenguinLoverGurl: Ha :) NOT YET**

** Thanks so much for your continued support. It really motivates me! Please review!**

** -Leslie Ann K.**

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